Arizona State wide receiver Jaelen Strong is expected to turn pro early and enter the 2015 draft, and an NFL scout favorably compares the Sun Devils star to New Orleans Saints star Marques Colston.
"He's big, physical and competitive with great hands," the scout told Sports Illustrated's Inside Read feature. "He's not a burner. He's probably 4.53 in the 40, but Marques Colston and all these guys get in the league and do really well. He's one of those. He'll be a really good player."
Strong and Colston both bring impressive size to the position, Colston at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, while Strong stands 6-3 and weighs 212. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis regards Strong as one of the most underrated offensive playmakers in the college game.
Strong, a junior, has caught 49 passes for 689 yards and six touchdowns this season, despite playing much of the year without his starting quarterback, Taylor Kelly, due to injury. Over a two-game stretch against some of ASU's toughest competition -- UCLA and Southern Cal -- Strong responded in dominant fashion with 22 receptions for 348 yards and three touchdowns. In a nine-year career, Colston has posted six 1,000-yard receiving seasons as a primary target for star quarterback Drew Brees.
The report cited industry sources that Strong would likely turn pro early, as well as Boise State junior running back Jay Ajayi. The report cites NFL scouts projecting Ajayi to be a better player than former Boise State star Doug Martin, now of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and projects him as a second-day draft pick (second or third round).
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